Down To Earth
by kmkrabill731
Summary: Right, so this is a romance, ReaderXPeterParker, but also definitely an adventure. It's gonna be funny and hella nerdy so prepare yourselves.
1. Chapter 1

_ReaderXPeterParker_

Your head seemed to pound as you watched the unnaturally fast paced city appear closer in the car window, you were wondering if this was because of the stark contrast from the slow country roads or because the car was just being a car and going 55 mph. Of course, you knew that this wasn't a real internal debate, but instead another approach to confront your feelings on moving away from Iowa.

 _Stupid brain, trying to be all coy on me_

Instead you turned to your phone, ignoring the city encroaching on the horizon, you pull up the website of your new school. As far as first impressions go, the website made for a nice start. The nerdy part of your heart squealed at the color coordinated event schedule, followed by the even neater club itinerary, grading curve chart, and bell system. The more you read into the site the more amused you became. On top of all the organization, you noticed small jokes hidden at the bottom of several of the pages. It was as if the creator treated his (or her) work like it was a video game with easter eggs rather than a high school website. For example, on the page that listed commonly asked questions for new students there was, in tiny print

 _the answer to everything: 42_

You were ready to mock whatever individual that had no life to create this intricate work of art before you read at the bottom of the site...

 _Website created and maintained by the Midtown High School Tech team_

Underneath this message you saw a picture of a bunch of high schoolers holding two thumbs up like Fonzie.

You snorted and chuckled

"What's got you laughing so hard over there?" Your dad asks

"Just the site for the new school." You respond.

"I never thought a school website would be the source of such humor." He says, as he puts on the turn signal to get off the highway.

"There's a school twitter page too," _Though not as comical as the official site_ "It has pictures of the grounds. It looks ummmm" You showed the pictures to your dad as he slowed the car at a red light.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, "That place looks more like a college campus than a high school."

You grimaced at the photo and took a deep breath.

"Something wrong?" your dad asks

"It's just a bigger school than the one back in Iowa... Plus" You clench your hand into a fist as your words trail off.

"Hey, no need to worry about that. You're such a star student that no one's even going to be paying any attention to it." He said, nodding to your fist.

"Right." you said, allowing your fingers to relax.

* * *

 _Well okay, great._

You thought as you stared at the peeling wallpaper of the tiny apartment. You were amused at how you could survey the entirety of the apartment from the threshold of the front door. Turning the corner into the kitchen, you flinched at the pungent scent of mold and staggered into the rust colored, laminate countertop.

"That bad?" Your dad asked from the doorway.

"My eyes and nose are contending for who is being tortured more." You replied with a shudder.

"Feel free to refrain from the dramatics, whenever you see f-"... "Oh my lord, that is bad." Your dad said as he keeled over from the overwhelming smell infiltrating his nostrils.

"I may be a flair for dramatics, but I think that is a fabulous example of how the universe is overly enthusiastic to let my enemies get karmically punished when they cross me." You grinned as you left your father gagging into the sink, and headed back down to the street to gather another load of boxes from the moving van.

"You are a cruel and bitter girl!" Your dad's voice called out.

You chuckled as you continued down the flights of stairs, taking in the layout of the building and its dismal green walls. You shook your head, trying to imagine this place look any less miserable in its hay day. Unlike the building, the street bustled with life. The noise of children playing in the alleyway coupled with the sound of car horns and traffic filled your ears.

 _Just another adjustment._

You thought to yourself, as you unlocked the van. The noise would just be another thing that you would have to add to your list of things that will take time to adjust to. Mindlessly, you stack boxes to bring back up the steps, trying to avoid thoughts about Iowa and how it was the last bit of your home that you had to hold onto.

You made it up the front steps of the building before realizing that you were carrying a stack of five boxes worth of kitchen appliances and a stereo. You rushed back to the van and put back a large portion of your load. You took a look around for any sign of onlookers before taking a sigh of relief.

 _I guess I have to be more careful in the city when I decide to carry heavy loads._

You turn back to the front steps with your smaller load to see a high school aged boy stand there dumbstruck.

 _aw crap._

* * *

 ** _Wow, okay that was my first story I ever published. Let me know your thoughts in the reviews, and please follow/favorite my story if you feel it is worthy of your love. lol, is this chapter length okay?_**

 ** _alright that's all_**


	2. Chapter 2

_He couldn't have seen me. I would have heard him, no normal human is that quiet. But still, I shouldn't act suspicious in case he did._

You proceeded in locking up the van behind you. One can never be too careful in the city... Or at least that's what you've heard. Your knowledge of city life was limited to what you've seen in sitcoms from the 80s. From the information you gathered, you should be living in a small apartment with multiple roommates and a job at the nearest cafe. If this blueprint was followed to the letter, then a love interest is in your definite future... Maybe. But the problem still remains that the high school-aged boy is still standing in front of you with his mouth hanging open.

"Can I-uh... Can I help you?" you asked, careful not to let your face reveal anything.

He cleared his throat before he squeaked out "Me?" pausing briefly to deepen his voice "Me? No I'm all set, ya know? I'm good! The world is my oyster!"

You raised your eyebrows quizzically trying hard not to combust with laughter.

 _Oyster? What a dork._

 _"_ Right" you replied, attempting to hide your creeping smile, "Have fun in your oyster." You moved to get around him when he turned to you and said,

"Wait, what I meant to say was that I uh- was um..."

"Yes?" You said, prompting him on. Hoping to Gods that he was not about to comment on your little display of strength.

"Do you need any help moving in?" He smiled to himself, slightly proud of the fact that he was able to finally say the sentence without any shrillness in his words.

"Who are you?" You asked, while slightly adjusting your load to brush some of your _h/c_ hair behind your ear.

"Oh. Oh right! Yeah, uh I'm Peter. Peter Parker." He started walking toward the moving van, "Do you mind if I-uh?" he asked, pointing toward the boxes. You nodded, curious to see if the kid could even carry a single box. You unlocked the van door, intrigued. Not that you were trying to stereotype him, but he was pretty dorky looking. His brown hair was curly in that messy way where you're working hard on something and you constantly run your fingers through your hair out of frustration, he had a pencil tucked behind his ear, and on his t-shirt it read,

 _If you believe in telekinesis, raise MY hand_

Still, his messy hair coupled with his strong jawline made for very handsome features. Not to mention his playful grin when he grabbed not one, not two, but THREE boxes worth of medical journals.

"Are you always this articulate, Peter?" you quipped, referring to the stuttering mess that was his introduction.

"Hey, I don't think I did too bad. At least I managed to tell you my name before engaging in conversation." He paused, looking slightly pleased with himself after noticing a heat of embarrassment had risen to your cheeks. "Not gonna lie," he said, groaning slightly from the weight of the textbooks "this is a hefty load." He propped open the door and walked into the hall as you stood there flabbergasted. You rushed to catch up to him so you could continue your banter.

"So, do you live in this building?" you blurted

"No, I just spend most evenings walking through the halls of random establishments to pass the time." The sarcasm rolled off his tongue like this was a natural way of speech, but the way his smile tugged up to form a goofy smirk proved that none of his words were intended to be rude.

"Oh, har har" you replied. You and Peter reached the entrance of the stairwell and started the climb. "The name's _Y/n,_ my dad and I live in 408." His eyes widened. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Not at all." You were expecting him to say more, curious as to why he made such a face when you said something so mundane, but his sentence stopped there. As did he.

"Hey!? Maybe a little more warning the next time you stop so suddenly." you snapped, trying to keep your stack from tipping over.

"Heh, sorry," he paused, reaching out a hand to stabilize your boxes with a sense of smoothness that was not at all present in his speech. "I believe this is your floor though."

"Oh... Right. Th-Thanks" You were relieved to know that the words came out audibly.

"Are you always this articulate?" He raised one eyebrow.

 _Where the hell did all this confidence come from?_

You continued down the dismal hallways with Peter, hoping that he didn't think you were a complete idiot for forgetting what floor you were on.

 _It's not that bad, I've only been here for half an hour, he must have some sense of understanding, right?_

"This is my stop." you said, motioning to the open door.

"I know." He replied... "I actually know for several reasons, and I promise you, all of them will pique your interest."

You shrugged, "Um. Yeah okay."

"First, the smell of mold with that intensity can come from no other source then an apartment that was vacant for 6 months. Second, I'm not so out of my element that I don't know how to read door numbers." He smiled, chuckling while setting down his share of boxes at the door threshold.

"That's it?" You ask, raising your eyebrows "Only three boxes and you're satisfied with your help?"

"Hey! Don't judge me." He said, turning on his heels, "I'm all down to be a friendly neighborhood samaritan-"

"Is that so?" You interjected,

"It _is_ so." He turned back around to face you, "But I don't think you need my help moving in. You got that covered."

Your eyes widened in astonishment.

 _Oh Gods_

He took one step forward before turning and opening the door to your immediate right.

"The third thing that tipped me off is that I live in 410." He laughed under his breath after catching the reaction on your face.


	3. Chapter 3

_SHIT. Oh Gods_

You closed the door behind you, slumping to the floor in a heap of embarrassed and totally helpless horror. You pressed your hands to your temples, your head was pounding and your cheeks were unreasonably hot.

 _How the hell could this have happened, He knows! I've only been here for 45 minutes and already I've found an unavoidable pain in the ass. What am I going to tell Dad? Can I even bring myself to explain that somehow in under an hour I've found a way to compromise our safety?_

"How's the air down there?" Comes your Dad's unmistakeable humorous tone, you glance up at him then groan for a good fifteen seconds before stretching out to occupy more floor space. "How are you already sulking? It's been less than hour since you've been here."

"I'm painfully aware." You turned toward one of the boxes that you and Peter had grabbed. Inside were various ceramics and silverware. You took your box toward the cabinets and began unloading the contents into organized stacks. You were dealing with the situation with a surprising sense of calm. In fact you were quite pleased with yourself for not hurling a plate at the wall as a way of compensation for the very abrupt meeting with the new neighbor.

 _Stupid men, they ruin everything._

"Hey, did you grab all of these boxes?" Your dad gave you a pointed stare. "You know we have to be more careful in the city, you can't be so careless with your strength. What if someone-"

 _Abort! abort!_

You were beginning to panic, but you redirected the interrogation to conversation "Relax, Dad" you interrupted, "someone gave me a hand." Your voice quieted to something barely above a mumble. "The boy next door, actually."

"Oooh boy next door," Your dad broke into a teasing grin "Is he cute, he must be stunning if you're blushing." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"DAD!" You shouted, laughing, you playfully punched him in the arm. He staggered back, rubbing his arm and wincing. "Ah, right" You said, apologetically "Sorry about that."

"It's fine, let's just say I'm more than used to it. how do you feel about ordering takeaway tonight?" He asks, making his way to the landline located on the opposite wall

"Ooh" You said, focusing back in on the plates, "I'm really in the mood for some Chinese food." Your dad picked up the _really_ dated landline in the kitchen. Actually, allow me to rephrase, it was so old it had a rotary dial. You laughed, "That thing belongs in an exhibit because it's a fossil"

Your dad made a face as he brought the phone closer to his head, cautiously he lifted the phone to his nose and took a good long whiff

You were ready to question your father on how he didn't appreciate your joke until he said,

"This phone smells like play-dough." He paused before saying, "That's possibly the weirdest thing I've ever said."

You raised an eyebrow, "What?"

He held the phone out in front of your face, "Smell it."

You opened your mouth to say something but instead closed it and inhaled through your nose. Your eyes widened. "Play-dough"

He brought the phone away from your face and flipped open a phone book located under the play-dough scented phone. Your mind drifted as he ordered the lo mein and chicken general tso. You finished off sorting the plates and instead went downstairs to make a few more trips getting the boxes- extra careful not to grab more than two each time.

Each time you took in more details about the new building, what an entirely different world it was. Back in Iowa it was you and your dad in an old, falling apart, white farm house a mile away from the nearest standing structure, and three miles away from the town that was even older than the house. Here it seemed that everything was squished together almost carelessly and though the apartment complex may have been old it was not in any sense charming. You were complaining. You were aware that you were complaining about the new home that you hadn't spent over an hour in, still it felt like a form of betrayal that it was your dad's job that sent you both so far out of your comfort zone. After all, who was it that was constantly trying to keep your lives seen by as few people as possible, shrouded in secrecy. Yet here you both were! Moving into a huge city for his job that put you both at immeasurable risk. It wasn't _just_ the move that presented the risk either, it was the job- if it were an accounting job or something that would be different, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was no regular accounting job. That job was something that you learned never to put your trust into- too many secrets. Not that you couldn't trust your father, but you sometimes got the feeling that S.H.I.E.L.D. made him keep things from you.

You were at the end of the hallway with the last load of boxes when your dad held open the door to give you the message that the Chinese arrived.

* * *

Dinner was cut short by a visit from the landlord that kept your dad at the door for a good twenty five minutes, after five minutes you gave up waiting for him and retreated up the stairs to the smaller of two rooms with your carton of lo mein and a stack of stuff that you had set aside. You rolled out a bed mat and comforter on the floor, followed by a set up of a nightstand with a lamp precariously perched on a cardboard box. Deeming this acceptable you leaned against the wall and began to pick at the noodles in the carton, once the carton was emptied save for a few runt broccoli, you reached over your feet toward the stack that you took up to your room, from it you selected your new class schedule and your earbuds. You skimmed over your class schedule, English was first, followed by physics and gym. Sighing and closing your eyes you put down your class list and stuck in your earbuds. The first few measures of a go-to song filtered in your ears soothing you until- CRASH and a slam of what you assumed was a window being very forcefully shut. The crash sent vibrations through your floor causing your hastily set up lamp to wobble and your eyes to snap open. Figuring out that it wasn't from inside your apartment you carefully lifted an ear to the wall behind you. This time a thud on the floor and a groan not to far from your ear confirmed your suspicion that the noise was indeed from the room adjacent from yours in the apartment next door.

Feeling oddly bold you gave a very very soft knock on the wall and asked "Is everything okay?" a distant voice exclaimed

"What the hell?" This voice you recognized as Peter's, internally you groaned. You heard footsteps come closer and then stop about half a foot from where your head was. "Y/N?" Peter asked.

"Um, yeah" you responded

"Is this your room?" Peter asked

"Yeah" you said again.

"Well this is bound to be weird" Peter said in a matter of fact tone.

"Yeah" You said with a sigh, "hey listen, what was that huge crash just now?" You asked. "Were you sneaking back in your room?"

"Oh that. Why do you think I was sneaking out?" He inquired

"I heard the window"

There was a long pause before he replied, "Yeah I was out on the fire escape and then I came back in but... fell." You couldn't shake the feeling that he just gave you a half baked lie, but how should you know. Peter was not your concern. "Hey can you hear _everything_ in my room?" Peter asked, a hint of worry in his words

You smirked and just replied "Time shall tell."

* * *

 _It's been a while but I'm glad I got to publish this, please let me know your thoughts on the chapter_

 _Have a nice day ;)_


	4. Chapter 4

7 hours left.

7 hours until you're thrown into the enormous and utterly intimidating Midtown Tech. The high school of geniuses, and science nerds that are destined for colleges halfway across the country. Sure you were smart, hell you scare people from time to time with your knowledge of human history alone. Unfortunately, that would not be enough to carry you through this mass of hotshots that went all the way to Washington for a goddamn Academic Decathlon.

2 hours until your function is compromised. You had the strong belief that staying awake past one AM is a concoction for a zombie- unsuitable for an exhausting day that promises 7 hours of nonstop work. That being said you couldn't sleep, the comforter and mattress pad did nothing against the hardwood floor and the chill November air that made your feet freeze. You stared at the ceiling and the large crack that threatened to swallow the room up whole. It stretched very nearly to the other side, only two feet from collapse. You half wished it would crush you in your sleep- inhibiting you from going to school tomorrow. The other, more reasonable, half told you that the ceiling could do nothing that would keep you from going to school, even if it did crush you in your sleep.

You turned toward the only window in the room, it captured a half decent view of the city... Literally half decent, part of it was obscured by a brick wall. Still, it did the trick, you allowed your thoughts to get stolen by the memory of the day one month ago, the day that determined a future of Midtown Tech, moldy apartments, and play-dough landlines.

* * *

One month ago

It was a good day today, spectroscopy in chem sense, you played dodgeball in gym without breaking the stick... Actually it was a GREAT day, you were able to have a full conversation with the cute french horn player with a New Zealand accent. It was your professional opinion that Dylan Ambrose was too good for this world, but here he was having a friendly chat with you and casually slipping in a wink at the end.

Today was the day that Beatles got resurrected from the dead or the day that Ariana Grande called off her engagement with Pete Davidson. It was a groovy kind of day. You grabbed your bike from the rack outside of school and made your way down the desolate roads to the house. Your mind was blank save from what colors you would use for your chem flash cards. You allowed the bike to coast down the smooth sloping road, carefully avoiding the many potholes that riddled the path. You shifted your bodyweight, guiding your bike around a turn, the house just coming into the view. There were specks of black around the house

Something was wrong, your eyes widened as you realized the specks were six large black vans in the driveway. The same black vans that infrequently came for progress reports, the same black vans that delivered you to your father 16 years ago. It made your skin crawl just looking at them.

Your hands were white as they gripped the handlebars, your legs started pumping faster and faster. Everything about those men was unpredictable, _why are they here?_ Your speed sent the bike careening around the next curve.

Progress reports were expected, _but how would they be checking on my progress if I wasn't there?_

In minutes you were at the driveway, your thoughts were a mess. Your body was moving with a will of its own.

you made your way inside, slumping your bag on the kitchen floor. You heard two voices from the living room, first you heard a voice you didn't recognize

"We need you out there, with everything that went down with Hydra, we need to keep our true allies close." You heard a sigh of frustration-certainly your father-

"Cut the crap, Hydra was two years ago, why now?" Your dad replied

"You still take orders from us, it doesn't matter that you have a child." The man exhaled, his voice softening slightly "She has made remarkable effort, this assignment was not easy-"

Your dad interrupted-"She's not an assignment, she's my kid!" His voice shook with anger "I don't care if you put me back in, I just need _Y/N_ with me." He paused, "Please."

Once again, your body moved of its own accord,

The man started again, "She's not safe in the city-" Your foot hit a loose floorboard, your eyes met your dad's

* * *

...The memory of that day faded, sending you into a deep, uneasy sleep.

 _Yikes, sorry that took me so long to publish. Please comment and let me know your thoughts, What do you think would be on Peter Parker's playlist?_

 _*Have a great day ;)*_


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